Stranger Things Have Happened
by ihartfanfiction
Summary: I'm Lissa Neragu. I am going to tell you a tale about a thrilling and wondrous journey. (Hello. Why else would this be posted?). For those of you who won't believe the events in this story, good. You won't be easily distraught over what is to come. But for those of you who do believe, even better. My story will have fallen on good ears. Don't lose hope, and always continue on.
1. Chapter 1

_Ah Crap. Ah Crap. Ah Crap._

I skidded around the corner onto yet another silent street and glanced into the side mirror of the nearest parked car. The silhouette of a man darted into the alcove of an antique shop somewhere behind me and silently dissipated into shadow.

I blinked, wondering yet again if I was possibly imagining it (More like praying actually). I grit my teeth and focused on the sounds of my feet pattering against the sidewalk to keep my mind off the figure behind me. Was the night playing tricks on my vision?

I glowered at the toes of my combat boots as if to blame them for my cowardice and made an attempt to quicken my pace. _Right. Left. Right. Left._

No. I knew what I saw. It couldn't have been an illusion.

_Why does this always happen to me?_

I was instantly regretting my offer to stay after school and help clean up. (Darn me for my bothersome kindness). It wasn't like I had a ride. No one would be waiting inside my dark apartment, impatiently worried over my late arrival.

You see, I moved to Japan from America recently in an exchange program at school and convinced the system to let me live by myself. My mother died a year ago and I never met my father, him having run off soon after mom was impregnated. With no siblings to speak of, I was alone. I was used to being alone.

And tonight, at this moment, I sincerely wished it was different. I'd prefer an over-anxious parent to the dilemma I was in now.

I caught a glimpse of my reflection in a store window and frowned. My long blonde hair looked windswept and there was panic in the depths of my ocean blue eyes. Instead of a high school uniform, I wore tight jeans and a t-shirt. Anyone from around here would steer clear of _the strange American girl_. At least, anyone but my future assailant, whom had been tailing me for the past fifteen minutes.

_Damn it_.

I realized I'd wasted too much time concentrating on my panicked thoughts, and now was in unfamiliar terrain. I was no longer in the city. And with my minimal knowledge of Japanese geography, it would only get worse. To top it off, my stalker could make himself known any minute and then I'd really be in a world of shit.

_You're nothing but a wuss, Lissa. A big, fat, anxiety riddled wuss._

I stiffly straightened my back, and took a deep breath. "Shut up, brain."

_Great. Now I really am crazy. Talking to myself. At least it was in English that time. . ._ I glanced around cautiously. No one in sight. I still remained tense. That didn't mean he wasn't out there somewhere.

A few paces away, a set of stairs rose above me into the night. I barely made out the torii gate marking the entrance at the top. A shrine? I grimaced. The last thing I wanted to do was climb all those stairs, but. . .

I looked behind me into the shadows. Every tree looked like the outline of a man reaching towards me with claw-like fingers, causing me to tense more. But it was my only chance of getting away.

As my eyes wandered back up the menacing set of stairs, a sudden thought struck me. _Doesn't Kagome live in a shrine?_

I remembered the girl I met on my first day. She'd been kind and helpful. She was the only one in this foreign country that I could call a friend. But her recent absence from school had been weighing heavily at the back of my mind.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss her bubbly, outgoing personality. Without her, school seemed to drag on boringly. Perhaps If she lived here, I could check on her.

With one last shaky look back, I bounded up the stairs, gasping by the time I was at the top. I made it. _How do people do this every day? I'd die._

After a second of panting, I took a contemplative look around. Now what? Where would I even go to knock? I'd taken up extra time learning the language, but it hadn't crossed my mind to study the blue print of shrines and such. Who knew I could be so dense? I eyed the building in front of me. Shouldn't the main door be right. . .

At least a hundred yards away there was an old wooden shed with a partially open sliding Shoji door. I scampered over to it and reached out. Maybe I'd hide first, then see about talking to Kagome. My fingers touched the edge of the entrance, so sure I'd made it to safety. Unfortunately, I couldn't be that lucky. A small cheer of victory died on the tip of my tongue when a cruel voice spoke up behind me.

"I'm tired of this meddlesome game of cat and mouse, girl. There is nowhere to hide so why not quit your senseless rambling."

I spun around, panicked. A man stepped from the shadows, a sneer on his face. His eyes were cold and calculating under his lowered black eyebrows. His face was shrouded in a mask of intense lust and bitterness. It made me shudder. Something flashed in his hand before disappearing behind him.

_A knife?_ Fear blossomed in my chest.

I yearned for the katana I'd gotten off a yard sale back in America. I now kept it hidden in my dresser drawer at the apartment, which meant it wasn't here. Cursing, I made a silent promise to carry it on me for now on when, or even if, I escaped. (The teachers probably wouldn't be too keen on me keeping it, but I'd have to explain the situation. They would understand, wouldn't they?) Even so, that was a big _if_. Not even I could fight off a knife bearing lunatic.

"Come. Let's go on a walk," he suggested harshly, eyes glancing around.

My heart was pounding hard in my chest in an endless rhythm of fear and pusillanimous horror. Tears threatened to spill and I couldn't help but silently muse at the irony of my situation. After my mother had died protecting me in a similar situation a year ago, I'd taken martial arts in an effort to stop this from happening again. Yet, here I stood in near tears, threatened by a man such as this. I was pathetic.

I set my shoulders into a ready stance and sent the man my best withering glare, hoping my panic wouldn't show through the feigned bravery. I wasn't sure why this was happening again, but at least this time no one was here to be given my mother's fate - a fate I was sure to soon be accepting as my own. My eyes flickered to the nearby shrine. At least, I hoped nobody would appear and try to protect me. The last thing I needed was another death on my conscience.

The man's sneer grew as he took a step towards me and my courage quickly wavered amongst the onslaught of frightening memories. I stepped back and bounced off the hardened surface of a wall, my breath coming out in pants. I felt behind me where my hand grasped at nothing but air and realized I was reaching into a gap. The door! I flung it open further and jumped inside, slamming it shut behind me in spite of the man's furious exclamation.

"Stupid girl," he bit out through the thin barricade. I knew there was little chance he would remain on the other side for long. I had to hurry.

I slowly turned and took a breath. There was nowhere to hide. No where. Just an old set of stairs and a moss covered well. Tears threatened to fall once again. I could really do for some good luck about now. Maybe there was a crevice or a hidden chamber under the stairs? It was a futile effort, I knew, but I couldn't waste my last seconds of life not fighting to survive.

I frantically jumped down the stairs, too terror-stricken to notice the missing step near the bottom. My foot caught and I lost my balance. A shriek burst passed my lips as I fell face first into the well.

_So this is how I die? At least I got away from that man._

I squeezed my eyes shut and waited for my impending fate, hoping with a desperation that astounded me that I would survive. My decent slowed to a near stop. I blinked in confusion as a celestial blue light broke through the darkness, blinding me. What the hell was that? Cool brown earth appeared beneath my fingers and I stood up quickly, fighting off the last wave of nausea that threatened to overtake me. I blinked away the fading smudge of light still blurring my vision and reached for the wall to steady myself.

_What the heck?_ If I didn't know any better, I'd think I was on an intense acid trip. Maybe someone slipped a powerful drug into my drink at school and this was all some kind of vivid hallucination. Right? _Right_?

I tilted my head back to see an ominous stretch of darkness. Small white specks flickered here and there amongst the black and cast a faint eerie glow along the walls of the well. I was pretty certain that wasn't the shed' s ceiling. _Okay . . .?_ That train of thought was shoved to the forefront of my mind as I looked down and pinched my arm, leaving behind a bright red mark on my skin. Yup. It hurt.

_So I'm not dead then? Or having a hallucination?_

I stretched out my hand and hesitantly touched a vine swaying gently along the wall, almost positive that it shouldn't possibly be growing inside of a building. Especially not in a dried out well like this. I listened for movement from outside but heard nothing except the shrill cry of an animal's call. Pure, blissful silence.

_Maybe that man left?_ It was only a glimmer of hope, but I clung to it and willed it to be true.

I climbed up the wall carefully, grabbing at the vines for help. Most were about as thick around as my arm and clung to the wall in looping clusters so grabbing them was easy. It was the hope that they didn't detach or break that sent my stomach careening towards the ground every time I reached up.

_Moron. Moron. Moron! Are you trying to get yourself killed? You couldn't possibly think going up there will be okay. If that man is still there, he will pounce the second he sees you appear, you idiot. You've got a friggan death wish - a serious hope to get a knife in your gut._

I tiredly ignored my inner voice as I reached over the side and pulled myself out of the well, sprawling along the ledge in exhaustion. A cooling breeze blew strands of hair out of my face. For a second, I basked in its comfort before realizing it seemed a bit out of character for the inside of a building. I brought my surroundings into focus and my mouth fell open.

All I could do was stare. Any intelligent thought fled out the hypothetical window as shock flooded my senses. I could feel my mouth opening and closing like a suffocating fish (honestly, at the time I was too astonished to care how stupid I probably looked) and I couldn't help but second guess myself on that acid trip theory. It was definitely looking more and more possible by the minute. What the fuck was going on?

_To to, I don't think we're in Tokyo anymore._


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! Sorry it took so long. It's been a really busy week! There has been work like every single day and I've had to help my brothers move. They are moving in the apartment downstairs! The joys of life... Sigh. Anyway, enough about my week. Here is Inuyasha to do the disclaimer!**

**Inuyasha: Stupid wench, I don't got to do nothing! Let me the hell outta here. Kagome! What did you do with her?**

**IHF: I told her she could stay with Shippo back in your era. (Hehehe. Actually this was her idea in the first place. She's as evil as me). Anyway, I'll let you fight Sesshomaru. if you do it.**

**Inuyasha: Ihartfanfiction does not own me or any of my friends.. Nor does she own ****_Inuyasha_****. Alright! I finally get to kick that bastard's ass. Is he over here? *Looks in the closet and starts to snif around***

**IHF: ... I never said you were gonna win. .-. Anyway on to the story!**

* * *

_The shrine. The well house. Where did they go?_

With grit teeth, I slumped over the side of the well and crashed in a painful heap on the grass below. O_omph. Maybe not my best idea yet. _A groan escaped through my lips as I pushed myself up and leaned against the sturdy wood behind me. My cheek stung where it made contact with the ground and aches ran up and down my tense form. _Geesh. You're such a klutz, Lissa. _A giggle rose from my throat and I clamped my lips together tightly. Great. Now I was hysterical.

I forced my attention off my turbulent emotions and focused on my surroundings. In place of the desolate shed was an expanse of vast endless sky and creaking, shuddering trees (keep in mind that it is nighttime) surrounding the little clearing of roiling hills. I shuddered. _Could I be dreaming? But the pain feels so real. Not like a dream at all. _I brought a shaking finger up to prod at my throbbing cheek. _Okay. Definitely not dreaming. But how did I get here? Teleportation? That's not even possible. None of this should be possible._

A faint howl took me out of my ranting thoughts. I strained my ears to listen to its echo through the trees, hoping to tell how far off it was. There was no response and I was left quaking at the idea of a rabid wolf barreling towards me with teeth bared and a sinister growl. My eyes shot towards the tree line, but nothing advanced and all remained in eerie silence. The trees took on the form of monstrous beasts, reaching for me from the shadows. I stared down at my hands, shaking in fear.

_What kind of strange place is this?_

A twig snapped a short distance from where I sat. I spun my head towards the sound so fast it was dizzying. My eyes strained to catch sight of what approached and my heart beat strummed painfully against my rib cage. I could barely make out movement amongst the foliage before a beautiful doe appeared. She turned her head towards me and paused a moment before she disappeared once again. I had to laugh. _Good job, Lissa. You protected yourself from the oh-so-scary __**herbivore**__. _

I sagged against the well once again, disheartened. Why was I such a dunce? In my defense, everything seemed at least ten times scarier at night, especially a forest in an rural area I've never been. But really? A deer? I grumbled unintelligibly about the unfairness of life and squinted at the trees suspiciously.

When nothing immediately popped out at me, I let out a huff of air and squeezed my eyes closed. _If I ignore the forest, my fear will go away,_ I rationalized. Without my sight of the shadows, my imagination no longer ran rampant.

_Just ignore your surrounds._

_Ignore._

_Ignore._

_Ignore._

. . .

I squinted my eyes into the bright orange light peeking through the green leaves covering the branches of trees opposite me before holding my hand in front of face to block it out. My eyes focused on the unfamiliar terrain in an attempt to recall the hazy memories of the night before. Flowers bloomed about the clearing and great puffs of white cloud lined the brilliant blue sky. I took a deep breath, surprised by the crisp clearness of the air. Birds squawked and whistled from all different directions. Realizing I was slack-jawed, I closed my mouth.

Where am I? I was walking home from school when that man started following me and then I found that shrine. That's right!

I snapped my fingers as my memories returned. "I fell down a well." So much for my hallucination theory. I was still here. I must have fallen asleep at some point then, since it was day now.

I placed a steadying hand on the flat surface of the well and pulled myself to my feet. My curiosity grew and I found myself leaning over the well's opening and staring towards the dirt floor below. There was nothing exceedingly interesting about it and it made me frown. It just looked like a dried up old well to me. It couldn't possibly have magical powers. _Huh. I wonder if I can go back._

I sat on the edge and held onto the wood in clenched fingers, silently counting down from three. _One._ It looked like a far drop. Closing my eyes, I pushed myself forward and slowly turned, still gripping the ledge for dear life. _Two._ I lowered myself as far as I could reach. _Dear Lord, please don't let me die._

_Three._ Letting go, I shrieked. There was no bright light and no dizzying nausea. I landed on my feet and stumbled before falling to my knees with bruising force. I took a deep breath, ignoring the pounding headache suddenly exploding through my skull. That was nothing like what happened last night. Did it work? I tilted my head back and gaped, not sure whether to groan in defeat or sigh with relief. Blue sky remained in place of an overlapping ceiling. Why did it bring me here, and not let me go back?

I was still agitatedly speculating whether to climb back up and risk the dangers of a strange and foreign land or stay rooted to the spot until it was forced to send me back when the sound of excited voices reached my ears. I perked up and rushed to my feet, squinting towards the square light above me.

". . . have to go to school. I have a test and I can't miss it. I'll be back in three days and I promise to bring more snacks."

Why was that voice so familiar? Where had I heard it before? I felt my brow furrow in concentration until, like a bolt of lightening, it hit me. Her voice was familiar because . . .

"Wait! Kagome, something is off. There is an unfamiliar scent all over the bone eater's well. I can't tell if it's human or demon."

Kagome? Scent? Demon? _Okay. This seriously isn't funny anymore_. I glared towards the opening, clenching my fingers in tight fists. I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks. _Did Kagome set me up? _She had been so kind. Why would she pull such an elaborate hoax? Why would she be so cruel to someone she called a friend? My temper shot back down to depressive levels when I realized I hadn't even seen her the day before. Therefore, how could she have done anything? I pursed my lips in frustration. _Urgh. I'm even more confused now._

"Inuyasha, I'm not dealing with your antics right now. I'm going home." Kagome sounded irritated.

Inuyasha? That wasn't any of our classmates' names. My frown deepened. A stranger who could apparently smell the scent of a human or a demon. Whatever that meant. A well that lead to a foreign land covered in blue skies, flowers, and trees (Or, at least, I assumed it was). She had a lot of explaining to do.

"My antics?" The stranger seemed miffed in return. "What the hell, Kagome? You're the one who's going back to your world while we are in the middle of a shard hunt! Can't this wait until we find Naraku?"

"Sit, boy!"

Sit? That's a strange comeback.

This was answered by a very loud, very confusing earth vibrating crash. I winced. That must of hurt. I kind of wished I'd seen it. Kind of. She must have been pretty angry to hit him that hard. I could feel a smile tilting up my lips. Way to go, Kagome!

"I'm going home!" Kagome was now yelling angrily. "And don't come after me either."

My smile soon disappeared at the sight of first one leg, then another dangling over the ledge within my peripheral vision. This was definitely not a good idea. There was hardly enough room down here for one person never mind more.

"Kagom-. Ah!" I darted out of the way of her falling figure and hugged the wall.

"Oomph. Ouch."

I was drawn toward the sound of Kagome's groan and saw her rubbing her back side with a grimace. Her eyes were scrunched shut and her teeth were clenched together. She'd unconsciously pulled her legs to her chest, making her skirt climb dangerously high on her thighs.

Oops. I didn't speak quickly enough.

I darted over to her, my hands flying about in embarrassment, not sure how to help. If I called out sooner this wouldn't have happened. God, I was an idiot. I clamped my hands on the hem of my shirt to steady them.

"Kagome?"

She gasped and her eyes flew open to stare at me in amazement, her previous pain forgotten. She quickly straightened herself, and now kneeled on her knees before me, hands clasped tightly together in her lap. " Lissa?"

"I'm sorry. I should have called out sooner. This wouldn't have happened. Are you okay? Are you still hurting? I'm so sorry!" My hands were anxiously moving about again, unable to remain still.

She pushed my hands away and stood up, brushing off her skirt. " I'm fine. Really! Don't worry about this gal. But what are you doing here? What happened?"

I sheepishly rubbed the back of my head. "That's kind of a long story. All in all, I fell in the well at your shrine, I think. There was this blue flash of light, and suddenly I was here. And I just jumped back inside, you know, to see if I could go back." I frowned and felt my eyebrows pull down. "It won't send me back. I think it's broken. Sorry."

I purposely bypassed the explanation about my stalker and how that incident brought me to her shrine, not wishing to delve deeper into my past. It was nice to not be looked upon with looks of pity. That was one reason I moved to Japan. To escape my past.

A perplexed expression crossed her face. "That is odd. . ."

"Hey, Kagome, why do I hear voices down there? What happened now? Did you come back to apologize? I mean, I know I was right and all, but . . ." He grew silent.

Guess the stranger was done moping around finally, but he didn't have to sound so damn infuriating. I hated when guys acted all greater-than-thou for the sake of saving their manly pride. I looked up to give him a piece of my mind and stared, forgetting why I was annoyed. Okay, I know staring is wrong and everything, but he did not look normal _whatsoever_. And besides, he was staring right back. Pretty rudely too, if I may add.

He was crouched on the ledge of the well with his head cocked to the side, an alarmed look crossing his features. The frown grew on his face as more time went by. His eyes were inhumanly gold and were blinking rapidly in confusion. Silvery strands of hair blew about his face, the rest billowing behind him in the breeze. I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe. Why did I get the sense that he wasn't human?

From what I could see, he was covered in a strange bright red garb and a black bead necklace hung around his neck, but that is not what held my attention. Atop his head were two identical silver ears. Ears that suddenly flicked back in response to his look of irritation.

"Who the hell are you, wench?"

"I, uh, I-"

My hesitation changed to anger. I'd been through hell and back in the past twenty-four hours and he had the nerve to verbally assault me in that infuriating tone? I would not stand back and be stepped on.

"Who the hell am I? Who the hell are you, dog boy?"

A look of shock grew on Kagome's face. I don't think she expected me to explode, but I couldn't help feeling satisfied. For once, I hadn't cowered in a corner to protect myself. (Not that there were any corners in the well).

He spluttered. "Dog boy? What's you're problem? Tell me what a human like you is doing out here in the first place."

"Come down here and make me," I retaliated. _Did he just call me a human?_

Maybe that wasn't the right thing to say. My heart sped up as a creepy smile plastered itself on his face. He held up one clawed hand and squeezed it into a fist. "Gladly."

The boy easily dropped into the well and landed an inch away without fail (definitely not the painful landing I'd had), looming over me. _Wow, he's tall. _I was forced to tilt my head back to get a clear view of his face. I sent him a piercing glare in an attempt to hide my panic. _I'm about to be mince meat._ He smirked again and crossed his arms.

"Oh, look, it's just a puny human. I guess I shouldn't have wasted my time."

Annoyance brushed the terror aside and I had to jump at the chance of putting a rise in him. "Oh. look, it's just a dog boy," I folded my arms mockingly and raising an eyebrow. "I do believe that I am beginning to grow bored now so why don't you run along and play dead somewhere, puppy."

A growl rumbled through his chest as his glare intensified. "Why, you! You're pretty stupid, aren't you? Even for a human. What's wrong with your face anyway? It's weird looking." He snickered.

My annoyance flared higher. Just because it was obvious I wasn't Japanese didn't mean he could laugh at my looks. "Weird looking? You're the one with the cute little ears on your head, dog boy."

A growl rumbled from his throat and his hand flew to the hilt of a sword strapped in a sheath at his waist (_Why didn't I think of that?_). "Why, I oughta. . ."

"Stop it." Kagome shoved us apart and held an arm out as a blockade. "Inuyasha, stop trying to fight everyone we meet. Lissa is my friend, alright?"

The stranger - uh, Inuyasha (Right) - gave Kagome a glare. "Your friend? You sure know how to pick 'em, Kagome."

"You're right," I gasped and sent Kagome a wide eyed (innocent) look. "Where did you find this one, Kagome?"

Inuyasha growled and held up a fist, taking a step towards me. He looked like he wanted to hit me, but Kagome intercepted. "You can't hit a girl, Inuyasha. Now we have to get out of this stifling well and take her to the village to see Lady Kaede."

"Oh, that's a girl?" Inuyasha tossed me an irksome smirk. "I had no idea."

_Dirty Bastard. _I stuck my nose up at him before turning to Kagome_. _"Village? Where exactly are we? This isn't Japan, is it?"

Kagome went rigid and she sent Inuyasha a worried glance. He shrugged, turning away. "Might as well tell her. What's she gonna do? Cry about it? I can already tell she's a little scaredy cat. Maybe she shouldn't have come here in the first place." He tossed a shit eating grin over his shoulder, obviously trying to rile me.

_Stupid damn dog boy! The nerve of him. Right. Like he knows what happened._

I glared at him, but was too distracted by Kagome's halfhearted smile to make a retort. Oh, no. What was she going to throw at me now? I assumed I could handle any explanation she gave me, but boy was I wrong.

"Actually, Lissa, you're five hundred years in the past. We are in the Japanese feudal era."

* * *

**Well, there's chapter 2! I really hope you enjoyed it. Please, please, please rate and review. Because I'm afraid that if I don't get any reviews I won't find the courage to continue this trip... Plus, Inuyasha would probably kill me for kidnapping him for no particular reason... Aaaaaanywaay I'll try to get chapter 3 to you soon!**


End file.
